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Sunday, July 24, 2011

FRENCH APRICOT TARTLETS

My lovely friends and Feast sisters, Chris Ann and Kristin asked me to participate in the launching of their newly redesigned blog and shop LoveFeast Table and I gladly said yes. I have known these two generous, talented, passionate, unpretentious women for quite some time and have already written guest posts for their blog, so it was a matter of course to join their festivites. But what to write when they suggest the theme Feast. Looking at their new space and I knew a celebration was in order. And, of course, what naturally popped into my head was...

LIFE’S A FEAST

An abundance of sweet summer fruit spilling out of crisp brown paper bags across my kitchen table; the heady fragrance weaving through the air reminding me of the summers of my childhood. I stand in wonder at the reds fading from garnet to ruby to rose, the purples royal, the oranges tinged with the evening sun and I understand the magic of the summer bounty of stone fruits.Life’s a feast. I often wonder how I fell upon this name for my blog and how it foreshadowed events, how my life and my writing converged, melting into one. Since the first day I sat down and began writing, I have experienced the sweet and the bitter, I have laughed out loud, savoring cinnamon and honey-scented sensations, candy-coated and sugar-dipped thrills, and I have tasted the salt of my tears heavy on my cheeks. My life has been a series of adventures, a wild ride, a world of discovery that, young girl, I never would have dreamed of living. I wake up each day not knowing what will arrive on my doorstep, unprepared for both the sweet and the bitter, facing each with a mixture of wide-eyed innocence and staunch determination to understand and conquer. I have indeed learned that Life is a Feast, offering up both the good and the bad, astonishing us with the unexpected, delighting us with accolades, bringing tears of both joy and sorrow. A chain of strange and unintentional events brought me to Europe and I fell into the arms of an astonishing man with a taste for adventure and the unusual. Together, with our sons, we traveled, tasting what we could, learning as much as possible, experiencing as much as time and our wallet could afford. We taught our sons that life is an adventure and the world is their oyster, excuse the mixed metaphors, and this, I hope, is all reflected in how I cook, how I write and how I live. Life is like the food that we place on the table before them: we encourage them to taste each dish, grab at each opportunity, for how else will they understand what it is or know if they like it or not?

I am pleased to announce that I am now partnering with well-known, acclaimed nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer, cookbook author and respected health activist. I don't often promote brands or products (if ever) yet when Joy's team contacted me proposing a partnership I couldn't but say yes. Like Joy, I believe wholeheartedly in living a healthy life, enjoying a balanced diet and, for those who know me well, exercise is part and parcel of my daily routine. I'll be sharing more about Joy, her cookbooks and her advice in the future.

11 comments:

Jamie, we are over the moon that you are serving up gorgeous Apricot Tartlets at our table today...and what a wonderful post your wrote. Every bite of it, releases different tastes! You are truly a sister we hope one day, to share a real table with. Until then,Cheers,Kristin & Chris Ann

I always thought that your blog title was a very appropriate one... Not that life is literally always a feast but it is - ultimately - what you make of it... I love the look of those apricot tartlets Jamie! Delicious!

I did go over and read the rest of your post. Could not resist. Apricots and a story? I have so many memories of my own involving summer in the kitchen with my mom and the boxes of BC apricots...Your tart is STUNNING and the step by step tutorial so helpful in understanding how to achieve such a feat.Thanks, yet again, Jamie... and now your new partnership. Congrats once again!valerie